Thursday, January 12, 2017

Stand, don't cower

The ruling class is, indeed, in an acute political crisis, to match its
larger, systemic crisis. The duopoly system that has served the rich so
well for most of the history of the Republic has come undone, split at
the seams, endangering the corporate-imposed national “consensus” on
empire and war. The War Party, deploying every disinformation trick in
the book, foments anti-Russian hysteria to create a mass base for its
imperial agenda. They point fingers at phantom “minions” of Moscow in
order to make leftists into political foot soldiers of the Pentagon,
Langley and the military industrial complex. MoveOn.org moves to their
beat, as does the entire Congressional Black Caucus, including Barbara Lee
(D-CA), the nation’s most left-leaning congressperson. Fine; they are
duty-bound to go down with the Bad Ship Hillary. But the social movement
activists that allow themselves to be swept up in the Democrats’
offensive-from-the-Right against Trump are the biggest dupes of all.The Democrats are incapable of agitating for anything more than
defense of Barack Obama’s “legacy” -- chiefly, his doomed Affordable
Care Act, which was already disintegrating from its own contradictions
and whose final demise will create an acute crisis that cries out for
single payer health insurance, the outcome Obamacare was designed to
forestall. The Left should be making that demand right now, rather than
helping Democrats join with Republicans to patch together an even worse
private-based system, down the road. The precariat economy that is emerging from Obama’s post-Meltdown restructuring, in which 94 percent
of the new “jobs” are so contingent, inadequate and insecure they can
hardly be called jobs at all, demands a National Minimum Income – a
potentially transformative leap that the Left should be loudly
championing, right now.

Barack was lousy for most Americans and pretty dangerous around the world.

The notion that we should be missing him is ridiculous -- as ridiculous as the pretense that Hillary would have done a great job as president -- or even a good job.

Now is the time to make the party grovel and beg for votes.

They did not have enough votes to win this time, they did not have the turnout.

Hillary thought she could build a coalition with the right wing and that would allow her to win. So she made no efforts to bring in the left voters.

Thursday, January 12, 2017. Chaos and violence continue, the Iraq War
continues, big tenting with some is simply not possible, and much more.

Starting with Conor Friedersdorf. Conor is a talented writer for THE
ATLANTIC -- talented in both thought and writing. But I'm calling out this piece:

A large cohort of Americans have reservations about the presidency of Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote by 2.9 million, strikes many who did vote for him as a highly flawed “lesser of two evils,” and has a dismal 37 percent approval rating.
These ideologically diverse skeptics must cooperate if they hope to
minimize the damage they believe the Trump Administration will do to
America if left unopposed. But so far, they are easily divided. In fact,
they cannot even refrain from attacking or alienating one another on
matters where they are mostly in agreement.
This self-defeating approach was illustrated
earlier this week when Never Trump conservatives who fully believe that
Donald Trump is a bully watched Meryl Streep level that criticism.
Rather than embracing a rare moment of narrow convergence with a
Hollywood liberal, they let the mutual antagonism between their cultural
tribes drive their reaction and wound up furiously attacking the
actress over perceived hypocrisy. Doing so advanced none of their ends.
It was a missed opportunity.

A large cohort?

When is that news?

I and many others opposed Ronald Reagan (and George H.W. Bush -- in
fact, the best thing the Bush family ever did was get his son to run for
office, it's allowed George H.W. to be seen in a better -- and
artificial -- light). On the other side of the spectrum, the right felt
that way about Bill Clinton before he'd even been sworn in.

What's going on is not new and we need to stop acting like it is -- or that we're novel or original.

So that's A.

Let's move to B.

Conor, you're not the industry.

I am.

That speech was inappropriate -- at best.

This was a lifetime achievement award. Yes, it was at the tacky Golden
Globes which are sold to the highest bidder and always have been. But
it's still an industry function -- one that no one takes too seriously.

But a lifetime achievement award is supposed to result in a speech of
reflection -- ideally on the industry but most often on the individual's
own personal career.

Her speech was hideous.

Tom Middleton was political in his speech -- granted he won an award -- a competitive award.

I disagree with him on Sudan.

I wasn't offended by the position he took or the words he said.

I was offended by the outrage expressed afterwards.

This is an industry function so the nonsense of some people about: Oh, his show was streamed in Sudan, he's so shocked?

Just sit down. You're allowed to watch, but guess what, at the end of the day you're not part of the industry.

Which is why you made such idiotic Tweets and attacks.

Working of a film or TV set is removed -- unless you tape in front of a live studio audience.

You have no idea what the effect will be, what the reach will be.

It's very easy to think of one massive glob: "the audience."

Tom, at an industry function, was making a very solid point and he got shamed for it.

Biggest problem, I would argue -- as someone who has repeatedly
championed Tracee Ellis Ross for an Emmy -- is that Tracee's wonderful
speech and her award for BLACKISH got lost.

Julie Louis Dip**it did not deserve five consecutive Emmys for joking
her way through the same series. There's no character there. There's
no inspiration. But five Emmys in a row?

I'm sorry Tracee has not gotten the attention she deserves.

Meryl wanted to whine because Hillary didn't win.

Sorry, Conor, Hillary is not the second coming of FDR.

Nor was Barack.

And objecting to Meryl's ahistorical bulls**t will always be valid.

As someone who's written about The Drone War and the spying, Conor, I'd think you'd understand why things can't be wished away.

As for our need to resist Donald Trump?

Huh?

Donald Trump is qualified to be president.

He met all the Constitutional qualifications and the voters approved him.

He's fit.

Will he be a good president?

I don't think so.

But that's how I operate.

I never had a problem on auditions because I went in with the attitude
of "I'm going to bomb" and I left with the attitude of "I bombed."

Ask anyone and they'll tell you that.

That freed me up from a lot of stress and a lot of worry.

Didn't worry about their expectations, just went in and did what I wanted.

So I don't expect that Trump will be good.

I know the man and I don't like him.

As a person, I've known him for some time.

I did not vote for him, I would not vote for him.

But with all that said, I'll wait for him to do something as president before I start protesting him.

And I'll protest him the same as I would anyone else in the White House.

I will call him out as I did Bully Boy Bush, as I did Barack Obama.

The president is a public servant.

The press, fey lap dogs that they are, will treat these people like kings or gods.

They're not.

We'll call him "Donald" because that's his name.

He works for us.

And if he does a poor job -- which is what I expect, but I could be wrong -- I'll call Donald out.

But, no, I'm not an idiot like Meryl Streep who is going to pretend that
the last eight years have not been hideous -- hideous in terms of wars,
in terms of drone killings, in terms of illegal spying, in terms of a
war on the press and whistle-blowers -- or that we lost something
wonderful when War Hawk Hillary wasn't named president.

Conor then goes on to talk about the post-inauguration march.

A White woman and her daughter were gong to attend but are not now
because on of the leaders, who is African-American, feels that
African-Americans have suffered and that White people new to suffering
should grab a spot at the back of the line and listen.

Conor frets over identity politics.

He thinks the bumper sticker "Yes We Can" is so much better. Look,
Conor, "Yes We Can" didn't even really work as a Pointer Sisters song in
the seventies -- and I love the Pointers.

The African-American woman?

I'm not going to call her out. I feel the same way regarding the peace
movement. All of you dirty whores -- that includes Meryl -- who
couldn't say a word in the last 8 years better not try to push your way
to the front of the line.

That's what the African-American woman is saying with regards to racial
discrimination: Where have you been and, more importantly, you're sudden
interest doesn't allow you to commandeer this march.

I understand what's she's saying. I don't think it's identity politics.
I think it's about the life she's lived and the struggle she's had and
I think calling that "identity politics" trivializes what she and
others have lived through and experienced.

I also understand the White woman's objection.

Her notion was that this was a march against Trump and she wants to be
against Donald -- as does her daughter. She hears that message and, no
surprise, feels she doesn't want to participate.

It's not an inclusive message.

But it's not an inclusive march.

Conor's acting like all those loons who thought if they kept repeating
OCCUPY WALLSTREET they could hop on that bandwagon and ride it to their
own personal nirvana.

They tried to co-opt it.

The march isn't defined.

One reason the march isn't defined is because people don't know what Donald will do.

People have been encouraged to protest before he takes office.

That's never a smart thing to do.

They're going to be the Sour Grape Kids as a result.

By failing to wait for some action to protest, they're just people
against Donald and the press, in a year or two, will be noting that
they've objected since before he became president, that they aren't
critic but just haters, etc.

I have friends who are participating and, since they're friends, I wish
them luck. But since they're friends, I also honestly state, "I think
the action's a little ridiculous."

I think the African-American woman is right to try to carve out some
sort of platform or message beyond "We will resist." She's protesting
over what she feels were derogatory remarks and disrespect that Donald
has shown so many during the campaign. That's why her attitude is that
those who have not lived in fear their whole life should not think
they're going to be center stage at this protest. I get that. I also
think if the protest followed her intent it would actually have meaning.

Instead, it's a useless, watered down assembly.

Conor wants us to big tent.

Like Hillary and the necons did in 2016? Shall we also hold hands with
David Frum? Maybe do some heavy petting with Henry Kissinger?

Exactly where do we draw the line?

So many different kinds of people Trying to be the same "No way," baby He said "Baby, baby, there's no way" If we could start again Well, who knows Have we really changed? Some say we have Reflecting our past Who can say? Who can say? Races are run Some people win Some people always have to lose Oooh, yeah
-- "Races Are Run," written by Stevie Nicks, first appears on the album BUCKINGHAM NICKS

Stevie's song still applies today.

And for the last eight years -- no matter how much a Meryl Streep tries
to pretend otherwise -- it's the Iraqi people who have lost due to a war
started by the United States that continues to this day despite Barack
insisting, as he campaigned for president in 2008, that he would end the
Iraq War.

And yet to Westerners accustomed to news reports about violence in Iraq,
it would be just another bombing in which the numbers, not the victims,
would be front and center. Media outlets would report what happened,
who claimed responsibility and how many were killed and injured. And
then the world would move on.

And then the world would move on.

Like the shallow and detached Meryl Streep at the Golden Globes.

AP notes, "In its annual report, the London-based Iraqi Body Count reported that
16,361 civilian Iraqis died in 2016, with the northern province of
Nineveh the worst hit at 7,431 people killed. The Iraqi capital,
Baghdad, was next with 3,714 civilians killed, the research showed."

It does matter Conor. And these people's lives mattered. They aren't
here anymore. The very least the rest of us can do is stop lying that
the Iraq War ended.

A lie that's all over Twitter.

Barack didn't end the Iraq War. He actually made it worse.

In 2010, the Iraqi people had enough of Nouri al-Maliki.

Even with Nouri's bribes and well documented dirty tricks (such as
refusing to allow some candidates to run and such as refusing to
simplify voting in order to depress Sunni turnout), he still lost.

Ayad Allawi won.

He should have been named prime minister-designate.

Nouri refused to step down. For over eight months after the election, Iraq was at a stand-still.

Instead of backing the winner, Barack had the US broker a contract (The
Erbil Agreement) that nullified the votes of the Iraqi people and gave
Nouri a second term.

That's on Barack.

And it gave Nouri and his paranoia the ability to persecute everyone.
He had military tanks circle the homes of members of Parliament who
were Sunni or who disagreed with him. He ordered a pre-dawn raid of the
home of one Sunni MP and the MP's brother was killed in the raid. He
refused to follow the Constitution and packed a kangaroo court to
declare Iraq Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi a terrorist and him to
death (six times sentenced to death). Barack never uttered a word --
certainly not about the witness who died from torture or any other
detail of the ridiculous trial -- ridiculous and illegal.

Nouri was disappearing the Sunnis.

He would give an order to arrest Habib Hammid (made up name for this
example). There was no arrest warrant. His forces would go to Habib's
home. Habib's not there. But his son or daughter is or his wife or
mother or . . . Whomever is home gets taken away.

There was no arrest warrant.

Not even for Habib.

Now the person they've grabbed disappears -- maybe into one of Nouri's many secret torture cells.

Or if it's a woman or girl and she ends up in one of the prisons (as she
waits for a trial that may or may not ever come), she can be tortured
and raped.

Barack had no problem with that.

Finally, in 2012, Barack's feelings were miffed. So when Nouri called
him after the November 2012 US election to congratulate him (Barack),
Barack refused the call.

That's taking a stand, big boy!!!!!

It would be two more years before Barack would tell Nouri that it was time to step down.

And that's when Barack would start publicly sending troops back in.

So let's all stop pretending Barack ended the Iraq War.

It did not end.

For those not getting it, this morning the US Defense Dept announced:

Strikes in IraqAttack, bomber and fighter aircraft and rocket artillery
conducted eight strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of
Iraq’s government:-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.-- Near Huwayjah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and
destroyed three ISIL-held buildings and a command and control node.-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units;
destroyed three fighting positions, three ISIL-held buildings, two heavy
machine guns, two mortar systems, a command-and-control node, a vehicle
bomb factory, a vehicle bomb, an ISIL unmanned aircraft, a supply cache
and an artillery system; and damaged 24 supply routes and an ISIL-held
building.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic
events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a
single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a
single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle
is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons
against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for
example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or
impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not
report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number
of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual
munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in
counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a
strike.